Dennis Dugan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dennis Barton Dugan (1946-09-05)September 5, 1946 (age 79) Wheaton, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Goodman Theater School (BFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Notable work | Beverly Hills Ninja Happy Gilmore Big Daddy Grown Ups |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Dennis Barton Dugan (/duːɡən/; born September 5, 1946) is an American film director, actor, and comedian. He is known for directing the filmsProblem Child,Brain Donors,Beverly Hills Ninja andNational Security, and his partnership with comedic actorAdam Sandler, for whom he directed the filmsHappy Gilmore,Big Daddy,The Benchwarmers,I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry,You Don't Mess with the Zohan,Grown Ups,Just Go with It,Jack and Jill andGrown Ups 2. Dugan is a four-timeGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Director nominee, winning once.
Dugan was born inWheaton, Illinois, the second of four sons of Marion, a housewife, and Charles Dugan, an insurance executive. He graduated fromThe Goodman School of Drama at theArt Institute of Chicago (now atDePaul University) and started his acting career in 1969 in New York City.
He moved to Hollywood in 1972 and appeared in his first television show,The Sixth Sense. Later, he played in the 1973 television filmThe Girl Most Likely to.... Other early film appearances includeNight Call Nurses (1972),Night Moves (1975),Smile (1975),Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976) andNorman... Is That You? (1976). In 1979, he was cast as the time-displaced hero inUnidentified Flying Oddball,Disney's very loose adaptation ofA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. In 1981, he appeared inJoe Dante'sThe Howling.
Dugan made guest appearances on several television series during the 1970s includingThe Mod Squad,The Waltons,Cannon,Columbo,The Rockford Files, andAlice. He also appeared in the mini-seriesRich Man, Poor Man, as well as two episodes ofM*A*S*H and in 1978 starred in the short-lived seriesRichie Brockelman, Private Eye, a spin-off fromThe Rockford Files.
He took on a recurring role as an aspiring caped crusader who called himself "Captain Freedom" onHill Street Blues.[1] He also appeared onEmpire (1984) andShadow Chasers (1984). He played Walter Bishop, briefly the husband of Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) onMoonlighting.[2] Dugan's other film credits of the 1980s includeWater (1985),Can't Buy Me Love (1987),She's Having a Baby (1988),The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988) andRon Howard'sParenthood (1989).
Dugan launched a career as atelevision andfilm director, makingcameo appearances in many of his films. Ones he directed include the comedyProblem Child (1990),Brain Donors (1992),[3] the comedySaving Silverman (2001) (in which Dugan plays a football referee), the comedyNational Security (2003), and theAdam Sandler comediesHappy Gilmore (1996) (in which Dugan plays Doug Thompson, the golf tour supervisor) andBig Daddy (1999) (with Dugan as a man who reluctantly gives candy to a trick-or-treating Julian). Dugan has directed episodes of such television series asMoonlighting (was also a guest star in some episodes),Ally McBeal, andNYPD Blue.
Dugan directedThe Benchwarmers (2006), a comedy co-produced by Sandler, about a trio of men who try to make up for missed opportunities in childhood by forming a three-player baseball team to compete againstLittle League squads. Dugan himself has abit part as Coach Bellows in that film while his dad Charles portrayed the Video Stop boss Marty. He then directed two more Sandler vehicles,I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007) andYou Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008).
Dugan directedGrown Ups (2010), which follows a group of high school friends who are reunited after thirty years for theFourth of July. The film again stars Sandler, along withKevin James,Chris Rock,David Spade,Rob Schneider,Salma Hayek,Maria Bello, andMaya Rudolph while Dugan had a bit part as a basketball referee; it was released in the summer of 2010 with majorbox office success.
As of December 2010[update], Dugan's films had grossed over $1.8 billion worldwide.[4]
Dugan'sJust Go with It (2011) was his sixth film with Sandler; it also starsJennifer Aniston andBrooklyn Decker. Dugan directedJack and Jill (2011), again with Sandler, andGrown Ups 2 (2013), with Sandler, James, Rock and Spade, all reprising their roles while Dugan had a bit part as Dr. Larry. Schneider was unable to reprise his role due to scheduling conflicts.
Dugan wrote, directed and acted inLove, Weddings & Other Disasters in 2020, which starsDiane Keaton,Jeremy Irons,Maggie Grace andAndrew Bachelor.[5] He also wrote the songs, which were sung in the film byElle King, and co-wrote the score for the film.[6]
Dugan's first marriage was to actressJoyce Van Patten in 1973. They divorced in 1987, and he later wed Sharon O'Connor, to whom he is still married.
In June 2009, Dugan's son Kelly was drafted with the 75th overall selection by thePhiladelphia Phillies in theMajor League Baseball draft. A graduate ofNotre Dame High School ofSherman Oaks, California, he played for five of the club's minor league teams through 2015, followed by shorter stays in theChicago Cubs (2016) andArizona Diamondbacks (2017) organizations before moving on to independent baseball (2018–2025).[7]
Director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Problem Child | |
| 1992 | Brain Donors | |
| 1996 | Happy Gilmore | |
| 1997 | Beverly Hills Ninja | |
| 1999 | Big Daddy | Nominated-Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director |
| 2001 | Saving Silverman | Also known asEvil Woman |
| 2003 | National Security | |
| 2006 | The Benchwarmers | |
| 2007 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | Nominated-Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director |
| 2008 | You Don't Mess with the Zohan | |
| 2010 | Grown Ups | |
| 2011 | Just Go with It | Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director |
| Jack and Jill | ||
| 2013 | Grown Ups 2 | Nominated-Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director |
| 2020 | Love, Weddings & Other Disasters | Also writer |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Norman... Is That You? | Garson Hobart |
| 1979 | Unidentified Flying Oddball | Tom Trimble |
| 1981 | The Howling | Chris Halloran |
| 1985 | Water | Untitled |
| 1987 | Can't Buy Me Love | David Miller |
| 1988 | She's Having a Baby | Bill |
| The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking | Mr. Settigren | |
| 1989 | Parenthood | David Brodsky |
| 1990 | Problem Child | All American Dad |
| 1996 | Happy Gilmore | Doug Thompson |
| 1999 | Big Daddy | Reluctant Trick-or-Treat Giver (uncredited) |
| 2006 | The Benchwarmers | Coach Bellows |
| 2007 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | Cab Driver |
| 2008 | You Don't Mess With The Zohan | Homeless Guy |
| 2010 | Grown Ups | Basketball Referee |
| 2012 | That's My Boy | School janitor |
| 2013 | Grown Ups 2 | Dr. Larry |
| 2020 | Love, Weddings & Other Disasters | Eddie Stone |
| 2024 | Knox Goes Away | Philo Jones |
| 2024 | Father There Is Only One 4 | Himself |
| 2025 | Happy Gilmore 2 | Doug Thompson |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | The Waltons | Episode: "The Theft" |
| 1974 | Cannon | Episode: "The Deadly Trail" |
| 1976 | Columbo | Episode: "Last Salute to the Commodore" |
| 1978–79 | The Rockford Files | 3 episodes |
| 1978 | Richie Brockelman, Private Eye | 5 episodes |
| 1979 | Supertrain | Episode "Superstar" |
| 1982 | Hill Street Blues | 4 episodes |
| 1987 | Hunter | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Wiseguy | Episode: "Phantom Pain" |
| 1988–89 | Moonlighting | 5 episodes |
| 1985–86 | Shadow Chasers | 14 episodes |
| 1975, 1983 | M*A*S*H | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | Episode: "What Makes Doogie Run" |
| Columbo | Episode: "Butterfly in Shades of Grey" | |
| 1993–94 | L.A. Law | 2 episodes |
| 1993–2004 | NYPD Blue | |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | Episode: "Who Killed Nick Hazard?" |
| 1994 | Traps | |
| The Byrds of Paradise | 2 episodes | |
| 1994–95 | Picket Fences | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Marker | Episode: "The Pilot" |
| Chicago Hope | Episode: "Freeze Outs" | |
| 1998 | Love Boat: The Next Wave | Episode: "Smooth Sailing" |
| Ally McBeal | Episode: "Alone Again" | |
| 1999 | Shasta McNasty | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2004 | The Mullets | Episode: "Silent But Deadly" |
| 2005 | Hope & Faith | Episode: "Wife Swap"(Parts 1 and 2) |
TV movies
Dugan ... ended up co-writing original songs and the score with guitarist Keaton Simons, who performs them alongside singer Elle King in the film.
